Halifax Wanderers vs. FC Supra du Québec
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Sitting in 5th place in the standings, a single point behind Vancouver FC and the playoffs; and five points ahead of FC Supra, the Halifax Wanderers are in good form as they host FC Supra, who have had a difficult few weeks.
Appearances are deceiving, however, because Wanderers have played three more games than their opponents in the league, which obviously has an impact on the number of points.
Then, because everything is not so rosy for the Wanderers. Vanni Sartini's players have had difficulty finding consistency in results. Over their last 10 matches, the Wanderers have suffered 5 defeats, 3 wins and two draws.
In these last 10 matches, the Wanderers have bitten the dust twice against Atlético Ottawa, twice against Forge and they have only taken one point out of six possible points against the Cavalry. On the contrary, against Pacific FC, twice, the Maritime team obtained victory, as against Vancouver FC, while it picked up a point against Inter Toronto.
In short, Wanderers are often weak against the strong and strong against the weak, which is not necessarily good news for Supra at the moment.
Although the Supra took three points during the confrontation between the two clubs at the end of April, the Montreal club is not really in a very encouraging run of form.
The victory in the first leg of the Canadian Championship against Ottawa serves as a small clearing in a particularly foggy period. The correction received at home during the last match against Vancouver FC (1-5) only accentuated the impression left for several weeks: FC Supra is going through a crisis of results, coupled with a period of uncertainty in the game.
In the last 10 CPL matches that they played. Supra lost six, with just 2 draws and 2 victories. In other words, they took 8 points out of a possible 30.
They have also conceded 12 goals in the last three CPL matches, showing significant defensive frailty. They have not gone an entire match without conceding a goal since the start of the season.
To overcome the Wanderers, the Supra will have to show personality, especially since Halifax is a combative team.
The Wanderers' backbone, made up of experienced players, is generally present this season. Marco Carducci, in goal, has made 41 saves, which places him second in the CPL. Isaiah Johnston is tied for first place among scorers, alongside Tobias Warschewski, Ballou Tabla and Mohamed Amissi.
The Wanderers are the team that has committed the most fouls in the league (175) and they do not hesitate to take risks, even in the penalty areas, as shown by the three penalties obtained (2nd highest total in the CPL) and the 4 conceded (highest total).
Jefferson Alphonse and Lorenzo Callegari are also among the most active tacklers in the league, with respectively 41 tackles, the highest total in the CPL, and 33 tackles, 4th highest total.
This match could be a revelation for FC Supra, faced with a team close to them in the table, but which also shows qualities which Quebecers have lacked in recent times.
For Halifax, the test will be no less revealing. Will the Wanderers be able to continue to dominate the teams in their area of the standings, or on the contrary will they show their limits against a team that needs to get back on track?
The outcome of the match will be able to answer these questions.
News and Notes
- Adonijah Reid made his debut last match for the Halifax Wanderers after becoming their most recent signing.
Projected XIs
FC Supra : Milli; Auguste, Chrétien, Ferdinand, Abzi; Mlah, Boughanmi; Choinière, Rea, Bayiah; Kwemi
Halidax Wanderers : Carducci, Alphonse, Linder, Meilleur-Giguère, Telfer; Callegari, Zitman, Olguin; Johnston, Bahamboula, Ciccarelli
